Funny how they expect people to pay thousands of times the "face value" for them, yet if you give it to the bank, they'll give you what it says on the coin. Seems like a scam to me. And yes, I'm aware that this isn't the first scam of its kind. That's how the US Mint has operated since they re-introduced it in the 80s.

untaken_name:Funny how they expect people to pay thousands of times the "face value" for them, yet if you give it to the bank, they'll give you what it says on the coin. Seems like a scam to me. And yes, I'm aware that this isn't the first scam of its kind. That's how the US Mint has operated since they re-introduced it in the 80s.

made from 28.3 grams of pure gold"People" will pay the value of the gold at least.

Nem Wan:untaken_name: Funny how they expect people to pay thousands of times the "face value" for them, yet if you give it to the bank, they'll give you what it says on the coin. Seems like a scam to me. And yes, I'm aware that this isn't the first scam of its kind. That's how the US Mint has operated since they re-introduced it in the 80s.

made from 28.3 grams of pure gold"People" will pay the value of the gold at least.

Right, "people" will. Banks, stores, and governments (taxes and fees) will only give you face value. They are the ones who set the legal value. That's why it's a scam.

untaken_name:Right, "people" will. Banks, stores, and governments (taxes and fees) will only give you face value. They are the ones who set the legal value. That's why it's a scam.

Yeah, no. They're setting the face value low so that it can be *said* that it's legal tender--thereby making it worth more than any other small plug of metal to a numismatist because it is *technically* legal tender--while ensuring nobody will ever actually *try* to use it as legal tender, and keeping it out of the monetary system.

"Hello, I'm Gandalf the White. You probably know me best as Gandalf the Grey, and I have some exciting news for the shire. If you're a hobbit aged 65 and older you may want to consider a reverse mortgage for your hovel. Best of all you get to stay in your home, and no one is going to ask you to go on a quest to throw a gold ring into a river of fire. Just call The Precious Reverse Mortgage Association at the number on your screen. You'll be glad you did".

Let it be known that the only thing negative I can ever say about New Zealand is that they have too many coins. I do not miss my wallet weighing 7 tonnes from all the 2 dollar coins I would be carrying around at all times.

untaken_name:Nem Wan: untaken_name: Funny how they expect people to pay thousands of times the "face value" for them, yet if you give it to the bank, they'll give you what it says on the coin. Seems like a scam to me. And yes, I'm aware that this isn't the first scam of its kind. That's how the US Mint has operated since they re-introduced it in the 80s.

made from 28.3 grams of pure gold"People" will pay the value of the gold at least.

Right, "people" will. Banks, stores, and governments (taxes and fees) will only give you face value. They are the ones who set the legal value. That's why it's a scam.

Why would you use a coin made of 28.3 grams of pure gold to buy something in a store or deposit it in a bank?

marius2:Let it be known that the only thing negative I can ever say about New Zealand is that they have too many coins. I do not miss my wallet weighing 7 tonnes from all the 2 dollar coins I would be carrying around at all times.

stevetherobot:marius2: Let it be known that the only thing negative I can ever say about New Zealand is that they have too many coins. I do not miss my wallet weighing 7 tonnes from all the 2 dollar coins I would be carrying around at all times.

Why didn't you just spend them?

I would, but they'd still pile up. There are no 1 dollar notes there, so anything under $5 you're getting coins as change (and usually coins as change for anything under $10. So even if you spend the change, you'll just get more smaller change back. I also hated taking forever and counting out coins for large purchases so I usually would just throw down a note and get it over with.

marius2:stevetherobot: marius2: Let it be known that the only thing negative I can ever say about New Zealand is that they have too many coins. I do not miss my wallet weighing 7 tonnes from all the 2 dollar coins I would be carrying around at all times.

Why didn't you just spend them?

I would, but they'd still pile up. There are no 1 dollar notes there, so anything under $5 you're getting coins as change (and usually coins as change for anything under $10. So even if you spend the change, you'll just get more smaller change back. I also hated taking forever and counting out coins for large purchases so I usually would just throw down a note and get it over with.

Australian two dollar coins are tiny. When I visited there, I got a kick out of paying for things using tiny little coins, so they didn't pile up on me.

If anybody is bothered by heavy coins in their pocketsss, put a large jar on your dresser and toss the coins in there every night. After a year, take them to the bank and buy yourself something nice.

marius2:stevetherobot: marius2: Let it be known that the only thing negative I can ever say about New Zealand is that they have too many coins. I do not miss my wallet weighing 7 tonnes from all the 2 dollar coins I would be carrying around at all times.

Why didn't you just spend them?

I would, but they'd still pile up. There are no 1 dollar notes there, so anything under $5 you're getting coins as change (and usually coins as change for anything under $10. So even if you spend the change, you'll just get more smaller change back. I also hated taking forever and counting out coins for large purchases so I usually would just throw down a note and get it over with.

How do the strippers manage? Are they all really muscular or is there a old coffee can on the stage?

If anybody is bothered by heavy coins in their pocketsss, put a large jar on your dresser and toss the coins in there every night. After a year, take them to the bank and buy yourself something nice.

I did end up doing something like this. My mates tended to think it was a "Let's ring a taxi!" fund. I had one of them pay for a $20 fare in all coins. She was an incredibly hot chick so the driver got pissed but didn't do anything about it. I always found it too funny to be mad about it.

Louisiana_Sitar_Club:By the way, I love how they do money. Tax is included in all pricing. They don't have pennies. Their bills are color coded. It's very cool.

Canada has 1 of those now, and will soon be rid of the penny too. We have tax-included pricing on a few things (e.g. gasoline) and I wish we had it on everything.

stevetherobot:If anybody is bothered by heavy coins in their pocketsss, put a large jar on your dresser and toss the coins in there every night. After a year, take them to the bank and buy yourself something nice.

I have a small cashbox with a coin tray. When I get home I sort my pocket change, and whenever I have too many $1 or $2 coins I just take some to buy lunch the next day. Smaller denominations either end up in a vending machine or are rolled up and taken to the bank.

stevetherobot:If anybody is bothered by heavy coins in their pocketsss, put a large jar on your dresser and toss the coins in there every night. After a year, take them to the bank and buy yourself something nice.

Yeah, I treasure my pocket change, because it accumulates so fast but never feels "worth it" to take to the bank. So I just stick it in one of those battery operated counting jars, and every few months when it hits $60 I get a guilt-free video game.

gweilo8888:untaken_name: Right, "people" will. Banks, stores, and governments (taxes and fees) will only give you face value. They are the ones who set the legal value. That's why it's a scam.

Yeah, no. They're setting the face value low so that it can be *said* that it's legal tender--thereby making it worth more than any other small plug of metal to a numismatist because it is *technically* legal tender--while ensuring nobody will ever actually *try* to use it as legal tender, and keeping it out of the monetary system.

Speaking as a New Zealander, a lot of us think the powers-that-be went overboard with LOTR tie-in marketing 10 years ago. We know we're not a big deal in the grand scheme of things and we like it when people pay attention to us over more than just rugby and sheep. An inferiority complex is part of our national character. I think all the attention went to our heads.

A lot of people do visit NZ - 1.5 million a year (given our population is 4.5 million, this is quite a high number of visitors). But given the distance they have to travel to get here, LOTR is at best only part of the motivation for people to come here.

thisispete:A lot of people do visit NZ - 1.5 million a year (given our population is 4.5 million, this is quite a high number of visitors). But given the distance they have to travel to get here, LOTR is at best only part of the motivation for people to come here.

I'm making my 7th trip to New Zealand next month, LOTR had nothing to do with any of it :)

I'm running out of things to do down there, but just getting out of the U.S. for a while has some therapeutic value.

marius2:stevetherobot: marius2: Let it be known that the only thing negative I can ever say about New Zealand is that they have too many coins. I do not miss my wallet weighing 7 tonnes from all the 2 dollar coins I would be carrying around at all times.

Why didn't you just spend them?

I would, but they'd still pile up. There are no 1 dollar notes there, so anything under $5 you're getting coins as change (and usually coins as change for anything under $10. So even if you spend the change, you'll just get more smaller change back. I also hated taking forever and counting out coins for large purchases so I usually would just throw down a note and get it over with.

Or you could have just done what most Kiwis do - use eftpos.

Joce678:By the way, I love how they do money. Tax is included in all pricing.

Um, it's not just them.

I think the USA is the only country in the world where the price on the item bears no resemblance to what you're going to pay at the checkout, or the prices on the menu have no relation to the price you'll end up paying for the food. etc.

Everywhere else the price you see is what you pay.

Nope - Japan too. Truly annoying not being quite sure if you have enough money to pay for something.